The monarch of England, Queen Elizabeth, has been receiving a lot of bad press lately in the UK for her recent invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit the country soon.
Apparently, the invitation does not sit well with most UK people because of Trump’s rather controversial views on human rights and LGBT issues.
As a way to redeem herself about the unforeseen mess created by her casual invitation of Trump, Queen Elizabeth has recently given her Royal Assent or approval to a new pro-LGBT motion by the UK Parliament, informally called as the Turing Law.
Officially called as the “Policing and Crime Act 2017,” the Turing Law is named for a father of modern computer science, Alan Turing, and Queen Elizabeth wholeheartedly gave her assent, details the Inquisitr.
Convicted for his homosexuality
Alan Turing was a World War II code breaker hero, and yet he was convicted because he was homosexual, and it is not the first time Queen Elizabeth has pardoned him.
Like many of her UK subjects, Queen Elizabeth is educated about Alan Turing’s history because he is also famous due to his important role in the evolution of computers.
Around the time Queen Elizabeth was crowned after her father died, according to biographer Andrew Hodges, Alan Turing was put on trial in 1952 for homosexuality.
During the trial, Alan Turing stated he did not think homosexuality was wrong. Instead of going to prison for being homosexual, Alan Turing was subjected to injections of estrogen intended to neutralize his libido, a process known today as chemical castration.
Alan Turing later committed suicide after being subjected to such form of medical torture in 1954. His life story was the subject of the 2014 film “The Imitation Game” starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
With the Queen’s Royal Assent on the Turing Law, thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of now-abolished sexual offenses in Britain will be posthumously pardoned.
The Turing Law gives an automatic pardon to men who died before the law came into force. It also makes it possible for living convicted gay men in seeking pardon for offenses that are no longer on the statute book, reports CNN.
Alan Turing received a posthumous royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth in 2013.
A truly momentous day
Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said that it is a truly momentous day for the UK. He said that while the government can never undo the hurt caused, but it has apologized and taken action to right the wrongs, adding that he is personally proud that the Turing Law has become a reality under the current government.
Anyone previously convicted of the abolished laws can apply through the UK’s Home Office to have their names cleared and wiped from criminal record checks.
Sex between men over the age of 21 was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967. However, the law was not changed in Scotland until 1980 or in Northern Ireland until 1982.
Some men affected by the law said that they would not seek or accept a pardon as it would be an admission of guilt.
Brighton resident George Montague, who was convicted in 1974 of gross indecency with a man, said that he wanted an apology for the way he and many others were treated.
Last year, Germany announced plans to compensate thousands of men who were convicted under an old law for their sexual preferences.
And in New Zealand, lawmakers introduced a petition in July seeking a formal apology and a pardon for those convicted of same-sex acts under laws abolished 30 years ago.